GF for life!?!

Wow, you never know until you go. This saying is so true when it comes to gluten free living. I never noticed how much, especially in America, we thrive on bread. We wake up; have a slice of toast; we got o lunch and have a nice big turkey panini' then we end the day with some good Italian spaghetti and throw in a slice of chocolate cake for dessert. Not to forget all of the delicious snacks we munch on throughout the day. So when my mom told me that we are going to go gluten free I thought the world stopped spinning and my life was OVER! We started going to the local health stores to by a loaf of bread but the prices were ridiculous. I mean come on, a loaf of 6 inch bread for 4 bucks? Ridiculous! There was only one thing left to do; bake it ourselves. So I started flipping through all of the GF cookbooks but it seemed like every single recipe have like 20 ingredients. I took matters in my own hands and created a delicious Gluten Free almond-flax breakfast muffins that came out superb. I never knew gluten free could taste so good! The slight crunch from the slivered almonds and whole flax-seeds give it a nice texture contrast from the moist fluffy bread. Its great lathered with raspberry jam or even just some butter. Its a great way to start off breakfast because each muffin has at least 3 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein (lets just gestimate) and is so filling.

The Kitchen Cell...Don't let it lock you up

I opened up my brand new A Taste of the World cookbook from Williams Sonoma that I picked up at a local Borders for only 5 bucks, now how much cheaper can it get? As I flipped through my brand new crisp cookbook, knew that I got a steal when I looked in the top corner flap of my cookbook; my eyes popped out when I saw the asking price of $49.99!

Anyway, as I buried deeper into my book my tongue lolled out to the vivid pictures that bounced out taunting me to eat it right from there. All of the recipes are from around the world from Morocco to Italy and from Belgium to authentic Mexican food. What I noticed though, as I planned to make a delicious Italian Leek and Zucchini Frittata, that I was restricting myself to what just what I read in the recipe. I felt like I needed a certain ingredient so urgently to complete THIS recipe. Even though I'm not extremely experienced in the kitchen, I do have a nibble of advice to say: Don't allow the recipe to take control of you. Read the whole recipe from top to bottom and see what ways you can make it your own or substitute specific ingredients and broaden your palate to a variety of new choices. I'll post into the Recipe Book the next batch of Poached Pears in Spiced Red Wine and I'll put up the recipe alongside it. Here is A Taste Of The World at amazon for a great price!

J

From Sunny SD

Cooking...a ride that takes you through all of your sensations, starting from buying the ingredients to the first salivating bite that you're about to devour. Every time someone steps into a kitchen getting ready to cook for an intimate dinner or to cooking for a large rowdy crowd, they will always feel the burden tossed onto their backs. But when I step into a kitchen, I feel like every pain or stress is completely released. The stress of a final physics exam or my father reminding me to sweep up the back patio; they all evaporate into thin air-at least for the moment-and I feel like anything that I want to create is a chop away from me. Sometimes they were disasters and sometimes I feel like they must be shared!

So to all out there that are reading this blog, Sierra and I want to share the same feelings, joys and pleasure that we go through from 3,000 miles apart. I want you to be able to be proud of the same dish that we smiled over in our own kitchens.

We knew that it was going to be hard to stay in contact with each other when both of us are so busy; but with a blog we can still hear and enjoy what adventures and mishaps that we came across or the latest curious fruit that rested in our hands. So starting from now we want you to also enjoy our crazy ride in the world of food that we started from a young age but we will always continue and hopefully with others aboard. Every time something fascinating or new gets introduced in your world of food we would like to hear about it also; whether it went good...or bad!

Hopefully every week we will be able to share little tid-bits that will be enjoyable to read. In the RECIPE BOOK we will put up the delicious recipes that we felt like must be used by others and so we can also hear how they went for you.

Enjoy; or should I say...Bon Appetit, Guten Appetit, Buon Appetito, Buen Provecho, Sahten!

J

Posting from DR

So here I am, posting from a three-story building in the middle of the Dominican Republic. Thinking about food and what's for dinner.

Before I get to the kitchen though, let me say that the purpose of this blog for me is, not only to post about the food here in the DR, but to stay connected with my friend Japheth on the other side of the continent. If you're reading this, you probably already are fond of the way food has a special way of connecting- the smells, heat, and textures that can tickle and slip through your hands - all of these create some of the best memories for people young and old, across cultures and time. Cooking together through the internet will transcend the barrier of land and sea, and keep us together. So, here we go! Two kids who love to cook, and to eat. Whipping up the best meals we can for our loving family and friends. In short, we're here to enjoy what the world has to offer us in the fascinating world of food.

We have different styles- Japheth is a creator, while I'm more precise. His family's big, while there are only two of us at home. I love Keller, Japheth loves Childs. Either way, though, we're both willing to take risks and challenge ourselves to make the best we can with what we have. So enjoy! And pray that through all of this, nothing catches on fire :)

S

Potato au Gratin... or is it?

When Mom isn't home, you better get ready for baked potatoes and beans for a week! Just the dreaded thought of no heart-warming food always left me anxious when she left. Finally on one of her Seattle excursions, I knew something had to be done! I opened the fridge and rummaged around our half empty drawers. Celery...no; pasta...again? Tomatoes...hmm. Slowly a little heap grows on the counter; potatoes, fresh tomatoes, red wine, flour, mozzarella, oh and leftover smoked ham and a nice salad should do also.

If I say so myself, that was one mighty good leftover dinner!

Go to the recipe book so you can savor what I did...

J

Now living on two sides of the world, California and Dominican Republic, our goal is to infuse cultural foods to share with the world. From American, Mexican, Italian or Japanese to Dominican or Ethiopian Cuisine. We want to share dishes that we found amazing and create the most culturistic menu there is. We'll try to get as many pictures as we can so you can be with us right in the kitchen.

So put on your apron and cook with us!

J&S

(Japheth&Sierra)